Network traffic is often characterized as either uplink traffic or downlink traffic. In this context, the term “uplink traffic” typically refers to network traffic that originates from a computing device of a service provider's subscriber and traverses toward an external network (such as the Internet). In contrast, the term “downlink traffic” typically refers to network traffic that originates from an external network and traverses toward a computing device of a service provider's subscriber. For example, from the perspective of a subscriber's computing device, uplink traffic may represent uploaded data, and downlink traffic may represent downloaded data.
The direction of network traffic may be significant for various reasons. In one example, the direction of network traffic may affect certain policies. For example, a service provider may allow, facilitate, and/or transfer downlink traffic at higher speeds than uplink traffic. These different traffic speeds may vary from one subscriber to the next. Accordingly, the service provider may determine which policy to apply to a subscriber's network traffic based at least in part on the direction of the network traffic and the subscriber's identity and/or service plan.
Unfortunately, some types of traditional networks may be unable to distinguish between uplink and downlink traffic. For example, a service provider's MultiProtocol Label Switching (MPLS) network may include routers that support and/or facilitate Layer 3 Virtual Private Network (L3VPN) traffic for Virtual Routing and Forwarding (VRF) subscribers. These routers may include physical and/or logical interfaces that each handle both uplink and downlink L3VPN traffic. Since each interface handles both uplink and downlink L3VPN traffic, these routers may have no way of determining whether such traffic is uplink or downlink relative to the service provider's subscriber base.
The instant disclosure, therefore, identifies and addresses a need for additional and improved methods, systems, and apparatuses for classifying uplink and downlink traffic in networks.